JG Cully's writing blog about the Haldred Chronicles series of fantasy detective novels.

Monday, 31 December 2012

Happy New Year Story Extract

Something for you all to muse over.
For those who have read the book this will give you something to
consider. For those who haven't I hope it wets your appetite. Happy
New Year everyone, see you all in 2013!

The Council of Peace: One year
on...

Do you remember where you were when
peace broke out? I do. Middle of Castle Square, Larrick city,
selling this very newsletter you now hold in your hand. Well,
obviously not this particular one, it was actually issue thirty
four thirty three if I recall correctly.

I also remember where I was when the
formation of the Council of Peace was announced, a day later. A vast
organisation charged with maintaining the peace. That wasn't odd; in
fact I commented to my fellow writers in the Broken Dreams
Happy Warrior tavern that day that in my humble opinion it was a very
good idea. What was odd was the fact the organisation seemed to just
appear overnight. Almost out of thin air Council of Peace compounds
sprung up across the country and beyond. In every nations major
towns and cities.

Maintaining the peace by whatever means
necessary, so goes their unofficial motto. But who are they? And
what have they accomplished now a year after the World Wide Peace
Agreement?

We'll start with who are they, despite
the fact this is actually a very hard question to answer. They have
recruited people and races from all across the land; Magra merchants,
Argon investigators, Orc enforcers, Bearkin Berserkers
Dwarfen builders...I could go on. Everyone is represented in some
way or another and by canny recruitment the right people seem to be
in the right jobs; for the most part anyway. They are managed by a
so called Grand Council but apart from a name and obvious 'in charge'
status noone seems to know who they are, including many of their
employee's. Really, we can't answer who they are as they seem to be,
well, everyone. Prehapes that’s the point? Represent everyone so
you can never be accused of being biased. Clever.

What have they accomplished? That's a
little easier to answer. The peace, despite the many logical
explanations against it, has held. Argon has not invaded the Trima
heartlands, again. Magra has ceased its raiding. Even the Darnhun
have been quiet apart from their growing mercenary trade that
thankfully, operates mostly beyond our shores (and beyond our sight
and mind). The peace has held. Some of that might not be the
Council of Peace's doing. Not to take away from them but after fifty
years, the Six Nations War had drained pretty much everyone and
whilst I can't talk with absolutely authority, I strongly suspect
that the leaders of each of the nations were weary of war. All they
needed was an excuse to stop. The World Wide Peace Agreement was
that excuse. The Council of Peace was more of an icing on the cake
than the cake itself.

So lets get to the big question. Do we
still need a Council of Peace to keep watch over us?

One year maybe isn't enough time to
answer that question with any accuracy. That plus we really don't
know a lot about what the Council of Peace actually do. They have a
News Department to keep Truth Seekers such as myself informed of
activates that maintain the peace but these only report so much and
often report activates long since completed. It is hard to measure,
with the information available, just how effective they are in making
sure we don't slide back into the abyss of total war.

This Truth Seeker isn't against them.
At the same time, neither do I support them. I find myself quietly
opportunistic that they are doing a good job, whilst a tiny voice in
the back of my head is asking 'what are they really up to?'.